Kiss From A Rose
by Vixen Stormfeather
Summary: A new girl at school may not be all what she seems to the Shaman King gang. And her haunted past is catching up with her... Horo HoroOC May turn into an R.
1. Prologue

**A Kiss from a Rose on the Grey.**

Disclaimer:  
I Do Not own any of the Shaman King characters, the place they live in, or indeed anything to do with them. I also do not own the Night World, or any of the principles of it- especially the soulmate principle. I do not own the song 'Kiss from a Rose' by Seal.

I do own my characters, and everything about them -

That is Gul, Sparrow, Astrid, Fahd, Steren, Sher, Tierra, Lorccan, Shyam, Torqueo and Jasmine. I own where they live, etc.

Prologue

There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea.  
You became the light on the dark side of me.  
Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill.  
  
But did you know,  
That when it snows,  
My eyes become large and,  
The light that you shine can be seen.  
  
Baby,  
I might compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey.  
Ooh,  
The more I get of you  
Stranger it feels, yeah.  
And now that your rose is in bloom,  
A light hits the gloom on the grey.  
  
There is so much a man can tell you,  
So much he can say.  
  
You remain,  
My power, my pleasure, my pain.  
Baby, to me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny  
Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby?  
  
But did you know,  
That when it snows,  
My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen.  
  
Baby,  
I might compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey.  
Ooh, the more I get of you  
stranger it feels, yeah.  
  
Now that your rose is in bloom.  
A light hits the gloom on the grey,  
  
I've been kissed by a rose on the grey,  
I've been kissed by a rose ( on the grey)  
...And if I should fall, at all  
I've been kissed by a rose (on the grey)  
  
There is so much a man can tell you,  
So much he can say.  
  
You remain  
My power, my pleasure, my pain.  
  
To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny  
Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby.  
  
But did you know,  
That when it snows,  
My eyes become large and,  
the light that you shine can be seen.  
  
Baby,  
I might compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey,  
Ooh, the more I get of you  
Stranger it feels, yeah  
  
Now that your rose is in bloom,  
A light hits the gloom on the grey.  
  
Yes I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey.  
Ooh, the more I get of you  
stranger it feels, yeah.  
  
Now that your rose is in bloom.  
A light hits the gloom on the grey,  
  
Now that your rose is in bloom.  
A light hits the gloom on the grey.

Name Pronunciation:

Gul: Guh-l

Sparrow: Spah-row

Astrid: Ah-strid

Fahd: Fah-dh

Steren: Steh-rehn

Sher: Shear (According to my friend, who speaks that language)

Tierra: Tea-eh-wra

Lorccan: Law-kahn

Shyam: Shy-ahm

Jasmine: Jahs-mehn

Torqueo: Taw-kwee-oh

Note: Okay, there is actually a really stupid thing that happened to me when I was planning this story. I was at my Nan's and I was _really_ bored so I decided to listen to a few of her old CDs. Now I was almost asleep when I suddenly focused on the lyrics to one of these songs. Me, just recently discovering Shaman King immediately heard the word 'Snow' and Horo Horo/Trey popped into my mind. A while later, when I was scouring my notes for a name and found 'Gul' which means Rose. Me, having the amazing memory for completely useless things like that, connected the two together and thought "Hey, Why don't I write a story about that." I thought I was being clever when I heard the word 'Grave', and linked it to the story. Of course, it wasn't until later that I realised that it isn't grave, but grey. So apologies to those poor people who are going to get confused. Now you know.

Note #2: I'm really quite busy at the moment, doing my final year of GCSEs, so I won't be putting up chapters often. It may range, depending on stuff. So please don't hate me. In fact, that's why my other fic won't be put up often as well.

Love

Vixen Stormfeather


	2. Ch1 Not Quite A Lie

**A Kiss from a Rose on the Grave**

Disclaimer:  
I Do Not own any of the Shaman King characters, the place they live in, or indeed anything to do with them. I also do not own the Night World, or any of the principles of it- especially the soulmate principle. I do not own the song 'Kiss from a Rose' by Seal.

I do own my characters, and everything about them

That is Gul, Sparrow, Astrid, Fahd, Steren, Sher, Tierra, Lorccan, Shyam, Torqueo and Jasmine. I own where they live, etc.

Chapter 1 - Not Quite a Lie.

_She never meant to run away. _

_At least, that's what Gul Thawne's mind frantically counselled her. One mistake, now she was dead meat. Almost a joke- because Gul Thawne was already dead. Or, to be more accurate, one of the undead. _

_It hadn't seemed so bad at the time, in fact when you've just been run over and happen to be dying of blood loss, life (albeit a half one) really doesn't seem all too bad. _

_Gul had always considered herself a nice, normal human being. She'd never been 'popular', but then again, she also wasn't a loser. She managed to scrape above-average grades, liked to go shopping, and to the cinema. But not drinking. Or 'partying'. Ironic, because that was exactly what she had been doing the night she died. _

_Growing up in the fairly small town of Oakeswood, Gul happened to know the town like the back of her hand. This, Gul reckoned, was a ridiculous thing to say because one generally did not spend hours staring at the back of one's hand. Anyway, Gul was walking home her normal way, feeling very pleased with herself, for it isn't everyday that you get a chance to snub one of the sluts, and dump a parasitic boyfriend- all in one fell swoop! So pleased, that she didn't notice the car until it was too late. _

_A battered old Mercedes, with a nice rusty chunk of metal on the front. It pierced her stomach, right through to the other side. Gul crumpled to the ground and the last thing she heard was some one asking her if she wanted to live. _

_What a stupid question, of course she wanted to live. _

_Then she blacked out._

_-----_

_Darkness. Darkness, and head splitting pain. A smell of ... lavender? Easing open her stinging eyes she saw a face hovering above her own. A very familiar face. Gul struggled to put a name to the face. _

"_Sparrow?" A girl from school._

"_Yes, How do you feel?" Sparrow looked at her searchingly. Very intense. Actually Gul felt very odd; dizzy, and she couldn't get a good breath. _

"_Oh dear." Sparrow swept dark brown hair out of her eyesight. _

_Gul felt something sharp prod in the bottom of her lip. Two sharp things, truth be told. Raising a hand she felt her canine teeth. Sharp, they were long and sharp. The teeth contracted at the touch of her finger. Sparrow sighed._

"_Do you remember anything about last night?"_

_Gul shook her head. Sparrow was talking, but it wasn't important. She felt hungry, and thirsty, but the thought of pizza and coke bought bile to her throat. _

_That's not right. That's not what I want. _

_She caught a whiff of something outside. Something... Tasty. _

_Then she stopped breathing._

_She literally couldn't. Gasping for air she stumbled outside. _

_Everything became a whirl; scrambled images that made no sense invaded her vision. The only thing that mattered was the smell. _

_The next thing Gul knew, she was taking long gulps of sweet life-giving fluid from a deer. Her senses returned, sharpened; even then it was a while before Gul realised she was drinking from a deer. Not a can of coke. Drinking _Blood_. Some new sense tingled and told her that Sparrow was behind her, arms crossed, waiting for her to finish. _

_Gul opened her mouth, appalled. But Sparrow spoke first._

"_Don't ask any questions. Wait until we get inside, and I'll explain everything." Her tone was final._

* * *

_Don't think about that, not now. _

She yawned. Loudly.

_Damn law. _

_Damn school. _

_Damn bloody country. _

Gul hitched her new uniform. Awful thing. The colours were nasty, and it itched like hell. This was the third school she had gone to in the last few years. After a while, they would get suspicious of a girl who didn't change as she got older. But, then again, that was the main part of being a Made Vampire.

You just don't age. Period.

There were nice people in each school, some she had even wanted to befriend, but she couldn't. She might make a mistake one day, let something slip. Or forget to feed. That could not happen again.

_I won't think about it now. New term, new school, new life. _She thought stubbornly.

Gul's vision wandered toward the secretary and the two agents from Circle Daybreak. The secretary had an incredibly vacant look on her face, while she stared blankly at one agent, a witch. Meanwhile the other one, a vampire, bustled around the office no doubt looking for a schedule. Gul knew what the witch was up to, and it she knew it involved a whole lot of brainwashing.

* * *

Gul stared blankly at the blackboard. She had been through about 4 lots of this type of lesson, each at a different school, and there was no variation whatsoever. She instead allowed her senses to encompass the room. There was a boy sleeping with his eyes open, an incredibly small one, and one with blue hair... Gul became bored and started blanking out the human minds. One witch and two shapeshifters, members of Circle Daybreak. 

Gul looked across at the witch. She looked about as bored as Gul felt, her grey eyes were hazy, and her flaxen hair fell around her face. She must have felt Gul's eyes on her because she looked over. As she met Gul's green-orange eyes she mouthed- _Unity Sister. _

Gul sent the same message to the girls mind. Her name was... Steren. The bell rang, and Gul stifled the urge to jump. Sometimes an overly quick reaction wasn't the best thing to show in public.

* * *

Gul looked at the unappetising food on her plate. She moved it around with her fork, and briefly wondered if the cafeteria was trying to poison the students. Steren saw her pick out little bits of tomato from the disgusting mush, and laughed. 

"I think it's supposed to be a casserole." She told Gul.

"It looks more like somebody ran over a rabbit and mixed it with compost" Gul replied.

"Yeah. This is why most of us bring our own food. Besides, it's not like you need to eat it."

"I suppose."

Gul looked at the others on the table, Steren had introduced them earlier. Sitting opposite her was a well-built blonde guy called Shear. A shapeshifter, a lion, and he most certainly looked like one. Complete with a shaggy mane of ruddy blonde and deep yellow-brown eyes that looked regally composed. Next to Shear was an equally big guy, but almost the completely different. This was Fahd, a panther, and he was Shear's opposite from the soot dark hair to the emerald green eyes. He was now meticulously picking apart his ham sandwiches, separating the meat from the bread, while his huge friend scarfed down a cheeseburger. Steren looked disapprovingly at Shear as he wolfed down his meal. She shook her head and turned back to Gul.

"You know the famous Raksha Keller?" Gul nodded, she had seen Keller briefly at a Circle Daybreak meeting once. "Fahd is some sort of relative to her." Steren finished.

Fahd looked up from his meal and nodded.

"Impressive." Gul said when they seemed to be waiting for an answer from her. "I'll just be a moment."

She got up and made her way to empty her tray and noticed the attention she seemed to be getting from a certain table. Gul was, by nature, a very self-conscious person and hated any kind of attention. So she made her way back to Steren, walking briskly.

Senses tingled; she felt eyes on her; turning slightly as to not make it obvious she found the source. A girl with short blonde hair was staring pointedly at her. The girl was sitting with the humans in the class she had noticed earlier. The one with blue hair had an incredibly simplistic mind, one was boring, and the other was sleeping. But the girl was another matter, Gul felt in her ear the tingling that she felt instinctively whenever someone tried to read her mind. She blocked the girl out easily, Gul had seen a lot of mind readers in her time, and had learnt how to deal with them accordingly. This girl was like a bull in a china shop, definitely not a night world member. Gul slipped back into her seat feeling slightly disturbed. She took great pride in her telepathy skills, and no-one she had met before had bested her, but a human with telepathy was quite odd.

Gul was about to open her mouth to ask Steren about it, but she noticed two figures walking toward their table. Two vampires. Gul noticed Steren stiffen slightly as they approached. Shear noticed where they were looking and said through a mouthful of burger to Gul-

"The girl is Brynhild, and the guy is Shyam. They're both Lamia- and very dangerous. They've probably noticed you and wonder if you want to join with them."

The girl sat down first and looked at Gul, completely ignoring the others- and getting to the point straight away.

"You're new here, and you're a Daybreaker. But if you change your mind now, we might go easy on you."

Gul paused, seemingly thinking it over.

"I have better things to do than sully my weapons on you, but if you stay around any longer I might just make an exception."

Brynhild snarled, suddenly more bestial than pretty.

The boy Shyam seemed to be having a staring contest with Fahd, and it was only broken when Fahd looked away with contempt.

Shyam snorted, grabbed Brynhild's wrist and pulled her away.

Steren looked at her in wonder.

"You just messed around with the Night World big shots in the school."

Gul shrugged. "I've met worse than those two idiots. They didn't even conceal their thoughts- I just walked straight into them, and I don't think they even realised."

Shear smirked, leaned over the table and clapped Gul on the shoulder.

"Good on ya mate!"

Gul allowed herself to smile.

* * *

Anna Kyouyama sat with her arms crossed and her eyes closed, deliberately ignoring the sounds of the insolent males around her. Unfortunately, it was of no avail. She peeked open one eye and called out to her fiancée and his gang of idiots. 

"YOH! If you don't shut up you'll find yourself doing so many sit-ups that you won't be able to get up for a month!" Anna closed her eyes, and savoured the momentary peace. Of course, like all good things, it didn't last long.

She sighed and tried to remember why she had told the blue-haired idiot to come to school with them.

Nope, if there was a reason, it had gone now.

Anna turned her mind to more important matters, namely the new girl in their class, and why she couldn't read the girls mind. Anna was no fool. She knew of the Nightworld, and of the creatures that dwelt there, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what they were. Anna also knew that the people the girl had been sitting with were Night World creatures, but being a human she hadn't been able to distinguish them.

The bell rang and Anna stood up, lost in her thoughts. She walked mechanically to her next class, Art. Still in a daze, she walked in to someone and almost fell over. Or she would have if the person hadn't steadied her.

It was the girl. She really was pale; her skin was almost translucent, like melted candle wax.

"I'm so sorry, could you help me? I'm looking for..." The girl paused, and looked at her timetable. Instead of bothering to say it the girl pointed at the next period. She had art, in Anna's class.

Anna looked at the girl, steadily. Gul flushed at Anna's intense gaze.

"I'm sorry, if it's too much tro-"

"Follow me. By the way, I'm Anna."

The girl blinked. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Gul."

* * *

Gul hated new schools, but years of practicing talking to complete strangers had given her a definite confidence boost. Neither Steren, Fahd, nor Sher were taking Art so Gul made do with her new found 'friend' Anna. Of all of Gul's lessons, Art was her most favourite. She had been good at art before she had been changed, but years of seeing the wonderful sights of the world had inspired her no end. She could feel Anna watching her absentmindedly sketch. 

Just as Gul was about to add the finishing touches to her picture the door opened and a flustered looking boy charged in. Anna looked up and spoke to Gul.

"That is Horo Horo. One of my _friends_." Anna ignored the questioning look Gul gave her at the obvious nuance in her voice, and the sneer that crossed her face.

Gul watched the boy gasp an apology to the teacher and make his way over to where Anna was sitting, to practically fall into the seat.

Anna spoke frostily. "I hope Yoh got to his lesson on time."

Horo Horo waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah. 'Course he did."

Anna's eyes narrowed. "I'm not even going to ask what you were doing. This is Gul."

Horo Horo grunted and seemed to notice Gul for the first time. He looked her over and smiled warmly.

* * *

Gul glanced at the picture once again. 

"You're sure it's a fridge?" She said sceptically, pointing to the 'drawing' on Horo Horo's paper.

Anna looked up and added her opinion "Looks more like a cloud to me."

"I'm thinking along the lines of..." Gul waved her hands around frantically. "I don't know."

Horo Horo moaned and buried his head in his arms.

"I hate Art, why did I choose it again?"

Anna replied. "You didn't, Pilika did."

"Oh"

Anna noticed Gul look absentmindedly out of the window.

"Is something the matter?"

Gul looked very flushed, and dazed, and it took a moment for her to reply.

"Wha? Yeah, I'm fine." Gul gazed down at her picture, she was having trouble focusing on the picture.

_Oh no, not now. _

Gul wandered up to the teacher and asked permission to leave the class, thankful that coherent thought had not completely gone yet.

She stalked along the hall, moving swiftly, melting into the shadows and not making a sound.

One person was out of class, a girl, one of the ones that Anna had called a 'wannabe popular'.

Gul felt razor sharp fangs prod the bottom of her lip, and she pounced.

The girl turned around, but before she could react Gul had hit her on the underside of the chin and darted in professionally. She located the blue vein in the girl's neck more by instinct than by experience and drank deeply as the girl fell limp in her arms.

Gul touched the space in the middle of the girl's forehead and walked away.

A pair of Yellow-Rimmed Blue eyes watched her from the shadows. He smirked, and loped off to find his master.

* * *

Anna watched the girl carefully as Gul re-entered the room. Horo Horo also looked up, both of their artwork forgotten. Gul seemed to float, rather than walk, and both of their shamanic senses tingled strangely as she sat back down. 

As Anna stared at the girl, it was clear that she wasn't normal - of course to the naked eye she looked normal, but to a shaman she looked ... ethereal - Anna glanced over at Horo Horo and saw his suspicious glance as well.

Guls eyebrows rose at their stares. "Call of nature." She excused herself.

After all, it wasn't really a lie.


	3. Ch2 Of Sneezes and Screams

**A Kiss from a Rose on the Grave**

Disclaimer:  
I Do Not own any of the Shaman King characters, the place they live in, or indeed anything to do with them. I also do not own the Night World, or any of the principles of it- especially the soulmate principle. I do not own the song 'Kiss from a Rose' by Seal.

I do own my characters, and everything about them

That is Gul, Sparrow, Astrid, Fahd, Steren, Sher, Tierra, Lorccan, Shyam, Torqueo and Jasmine. I own where they live, etc.

**shibi chibi **- I promise there will be fighting in the next few chapters!!

**Kyoyama Kita**** - **Thanks for the support!

Chapter 2 - Of Sneezes and Screams

_Blank Blue eyes stared back up at her. Blood was streaming across the corpses' neck, a product of desperate stabs and slashes. _

_What have I _done?

_The girl on the floor was losing her sheen already; the death pallor was beginning to take effect. _

_The pupils of the blue eyes became dark, and a film developed over the top of them; they became flatter. Ginger hair matted with blood was in disarray on the floor, but ones eyes were instantly drawn to the bloody mess of a neck. _

"_What _am_ I?" Gul collapsed to the floor sobbing. She gathered her best friend's body into her arms and wept until the sirens were heard out side. _

_Gul raised a tear stained face and looked at the little girl in the corner who was cowering in fear. With a new resolution Gul leapt and ran out of the window, watched by the blue eyes of the girl. The little girl learnt her first lesson that day. _

_You can trust no-one. Not even your best friend, nor your mother._

_The 8-year old crumpled down next to the body of her sister and swore that these were to be her last tears. She took the pendant from around her sister's neck and proclaimed herself the Raven, in honour of her dead sister's pet name for her. She rooted around on the floor for her sister's pendant, wound it around her fist and jumped out of the window going in the opposite direction of the murderer._

_The main article in the papers the next day told of a murdered teenager, and her missing sister. A plea was called out for information, but none was given._

_1 year later it told of another death. A mother who could not handle the loss of her daughters had died of a heart failure._

_At least, that was what the press was told. _

* * *

Gul woke up in a cold sweat, and pulled the covers further over her body. She shivered involuntarily, and switched her light back on. It was 2 o'clock in the morning. She groaned, but realised that she wasn't going to get back to sleep. 

_Cornflakes are the best thing for me now. _

Of course there was no real nutrition in the food; it was more of a comfort thing.

* * *

Anna shivered in her sleep. She woke up abruptly and trembled slightly. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Leaning against the counter she sipped the drink and let herself go, it wasn't often she had a chance to just ... not think about things. She had so much pressure on her in the daytime it was a welcome relief to just listen to the breeze and have no worries. 

Footsteps snapped Anna out of her reverie. She scowled at Yoh as he walked sleepily into the kitchen.

"Oh. Hi Anna." He yawned.

"What are you doing up? You're supposed to be asleep, we have school tomorrow."

Yoh smiled at his fiancée. "Exactly, _we_ have school. Not just me. What are you doing up anyway?"

Anna looked out the window as Yoh came over and leant next to her. Yoh knew he wasn't going to get an answer out of her so he tried another topic.

"What happened at school today? You seemed kind of ... quiet on the way home." At this point he paused and blinked. "And you didn't give me any chores to do. Not that I'm complaining." He added quickly when he caught her gaze.

Anna sighed. "I've just got something on my mind."

Yoh had never seen her so pensive and forlorn; he desperately wanted to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, but he knew very well what kind of reaction he would get to that. She turned around to face him and for one tense moment he thought _she_ was going to hug _him_, but instead she put her glass in the sink.

Yoh buried his head in his hands and groaned when he was sure her footsteps had gone. Anna was _never_ going to accept him.

_So I must to get better for her_.

* * *

Gul walked in her garden, fingers trailing over the top of flowers until she found her Roses. She sat down on the grass, damp with morning dew, and plucked a White Rose. She traced the delicate inside of the plant and took a deep breath of it's scent. 

_Roses bring so many memories. _

She thought dejectedly. Memories ran like water through the fingers of the young, yet not so young girl.

Then there was only peace.

Gul leant onto floor on her back and rested the rose on her chest, looking for all the world like a sculpture of a young goddess, with wine-red hair and pale skin. The sun slowly came into the world, while a soft breeze caused cream coloured muslin to flutter around her body.

Orange-Green eyes snapped open as she heard a rustle in the brush. Moving with the grace her heritage brought on, she stalked over to the exact place, and parted the brush.

Nothing.

Nothing, but a smell of cat... no, not cat...

_Flash. _

Memories she had been trying to hide resurfaced.

_Flash._

A small boy slowly changing into a cat-like creature about 2 foot long. A Jaguarundi.

_Flash._

A sly-faced, half-changed shapeshifter mocking her. Evil eyes.

_Flash._

A scar on the creatures face... blood on her hands.

_Flash._

Gul clutched her head in her hands; she had fallen onto her knees a long time ago. Apparently it was over.

* * *

Gul was sprawled out on the table as Steren entered the classroom. Fahd was next to her, while Shear was emphatically gesturing to emphasize his dialect. Needless to say, both looked utterly bored and Steren had sneaky suspicion that Gul was actually asleep in her arms. 

Steren approached the table and nudged Gul with her elbow. Awake instantly, Gul looked up at Steren and mumbled "This had better be good."

Steren smiled mysteriously. "Oh, it is."

Opening her hands Steren revealed a delicate, exquisite necklace.

It was about the size of Gul's thumbprint, and the detail was extraordinary. It was cast of gold, with flecks of an orange gemstone emphasizing the pattern. It depicted a woman in a chariot, driven by semi-large felines. The woman's hair was of amber, as were the flecks in her billowing cape and armour. The animals and the sky were of gold, while the chariot and reins were a mixture of both.

Gul looked up at Steren, speechless. Steren waved her hand.

"No need for thanks, I wanted to use up that Amber anyway, and the gold is cheap to my family. Besides, I have a strange feeling that you're going to need protection soon."

Steren seemed to space out for a few moments, but snapped back to reality not long after. Gul saw Shear and Fahd exchange worried glances. Steren shook her head and continued.

"You remind me of the Norse Goddess Freya anyway. She was often depicted as riding a chariot pulled by Lynxes. Amber is traditionally used for success, abundance, healing, vitality and joy. It is also the sunstone, symbolising Light and Goodness." Steren paused and yawned. "Amber and Jet are a powerful combination. Together they represent light and darkness, good and evil, sun and moon, Yin and Yang. Wear it at all times and you _should_ be safe."

Steren yawned again. "Oh! Excuse me! I went bed late last night." Steren wafted out of the room quickly. Gul turned to Fahd and Shear who looked uncomfortable under her gaze. Fahd fidgeted, while Shear became very interested in his fingernails. Gul prodded the panther. "Okay, spill. What was all that about." Fahd fidgeted before speaking in his soft, elegant voice. "There's kind of something wrong with Steren..." He scratched the side of his face and looked up at Gul, who raised an eyebrow. Shear kicked his friend in the shin. The lion then looked to Gul and smiled wanly. "There's nothing wrong at all."

_Fine play it that way_. Gul thought as she subtly invaded their minds, but both were more intelligent than she had given them credit for. They were blocking her by making their minds animal like, and highly difficult to read.

* * *

The moment Anna walked into Room 860b she was assaulted by the sight of a dishevelled looking Gul glaring at the mismatched pair of friends. 

Anna sat down a few seat behind and to the left of Gul, and took out her notes, planning to give them a quick do over before the test. A mass of squiggly diagrams swam in front of her eyes; she peeked out of the corner of her eye at her fiancée. She was shocked, for once he wasn't asleep. Unfortunately he was talking with his friends and giggling at certain intervals. Anna snapped out of her reverie as she noticed Gul squatting down in front of her desk. Anna converted a start into a cough, and looked suspiciously at Gul.

"How long have you been there?" Anna demanded.

The corners of Gul's mouth twitched up in a smirk. "Long enough to know were your eyes were drifting."

Gul was openly grinning now, and it was irritating Anna no end.

However, Anna being Anna said nothing.

Gul spoke again. "So ... Who is he?"

Anna snorted. "You know Horo Horo, the small boy is Manta. And the other boy is Yoh...My fiancée."

The annoying grin was back on Gul's face, but Anna changed the subject this time.

"Where did you get this necklace?" Anna instinctively reached out for it.

"No! Wait, don't touch-"

Too late.

Anna felt a shock shoot up her arm and made her feel dizzy-sick. She felt momentarily fazed and struggled to retain a level of consciousness.

Anna looked sharply at Gul, but as the Itako was about to say something the teacher entered the classroom and with an apologetic grin, Gul swept away to her desk.

* * *

_Maths, I _hate_ maths._ Gul thought as she walked with Anna to her next class. 

"Is Mr Donahue an okay teacher?" She asked Anna.

"He's boring and slow, we never learn anything in his lessons, but apart from that he's a great teacher."

Gul laughed. "He sounds fun then!"

Anna couldn't help but smile.

_Sometimes it's a nice thing to have girl friends to chat to, instead of just the boys._ Anna thought. _Speak of the devil._

Yoh and Horo Horo ran to catch up with the two girls.

Yoh held out his hand. "Hello Gul!" He caught her look and continued. "Horo Horo told me about you."

The blue haired shaman smiled cheekily at Gul.

Gul shook Yoh's hand and glared simultaneously at Horo Horo.

---

The girl Gul had attacked yesterday walked into the classroom. She looked pale and wan like she had some kind of illness. Gul squirmed in her seat. She couldn't help but feel slightly guilty even though being a hunter was her nature, and humans would always be her prey. Of course, Gul could feed off animals, but they stank and the blood did nothing to her- human blood would greatly enhance her powers.

The girl turned around and froze. She had seen Gul.

The girl's mouth and eyes turned into three perfect circles as she started screaming.

**_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Monster! _**

The pitch of the girl's scream hurt Gul's ears.

_Oh no. She shouldn't remember, I wiped her memory._ Gul could feel the ice settling in the bottom of her stomach. _Act cool, just act cool._

The hysterical girl fell to the ground, her whole body convulsed as she gulped and wept in terror. As scared as Gul felt, she couldn't help but feel fascinated at the girl's behaviour - Did it really hurt them that much?

_I could have sworn it doesn't hurt them._

Gul creased her face in an expressionless mask, as the paramedics carried the poor gibbering creature out of the room. The rest of the class turned back to the teacher; after a few furtive whispers.

Apart from 3 shamans and two shapeshifters.

* * *

The little evil creature followed its master through the underbrush. His Yellow-Blue eyes shone with a stupid happiness. 

The creature in front of him stopped in his tracks, causing the smaller one to bump into his legs.

The little Jaguarundi sneezed and snuffled. He just wasn't used to this type of weather, where he came from it was permanently hot.

The 6" tall man in front of the snuffling boy turned around to look at him and said menacingly.

"You'd better not be lying about this, shapeshifter of the lower order." It was a barely concealed threat.

"No, Torqueo, she was most definitely here."

The tall man swung around and belted the small boy across the face.

"Fool!" He hissed. "Names are power, how _dare_ you besmirch my name by speaking it, you filth!"

The 'man's' ragged silver hair moved in the wind, revealing 4 stubby horns on his forehead.

He spoke 4 words softly onto the wind.

"Finally, you're all mine"

The small shapeshifter touched the searing burn left by his master's imprint, and decided not to say anything.  
_These Dragons think they know everything. But then again, he probably does - being hundreds of thousands of years old. _


	4. Ch3 Discovering the Night World

**A Kiss from a Rose on the Grave**

Disclaimer:  
I Do Not own any of the Shaman King characters, the place they live in, or indeed anything to do with them. I also do not own the Night World, or any of the principles of it- especially the soulmate principle. I do not own the song 'Kiss from a Rose' by Seal.

I do own my characters, and everything about them

That is Gul, Sparrow, Astrid, Fahd, Steren, Sher, Tierra, Lorccan, Shyam, Torqueo and Jasmine. I own where they live, etc.

**!!WARNING!!**

**- IF YOU DO NOT LIKE BLOOD, OR VIOLENCE PLEASE STOP READING NOW. Or you should have stopped reading the last Chapter.**

Chapter 3 - Discovering the Night World

_Tierra the Raven sat down in the living room of the monsters. Or maybe not quite monsters..._

"_Cupcake?" The witch called Astrid offered a plate of butterfly cakes to the young girl. Tierra declined. _

"_So. You're here because you want to be... what was it again?"_

"_I want to be a vampire, so I can kill a vampire. One who killed my sister." The 13 year old shifted in her chair. _

_Astrid snorted. "Do you know the name of this vampire?"_

"_Gul." With this one word the entire house stopped moving. Astrid leaned forward in her chair as a small boy and another girl zipped into the room. The girl was blatantly a vampire. Tierra bristled, remembering her last encounter with a bloodsucker; it had been around two weeks ago. She'd found him feeding off children in a day-care centre but he was too fast for her and he had gotten away. That's when she decided to become a creature of darkness herself. _

_---_

_The pain was _awful_, having blood drawn out of her in long gulps. Tierra could feel it being sucked out from her heart, the searing dizziness shooting all the way up to her throat._

_Just when Tierra was sure she was going to pass out from the pain Sparrow lifted her head up and stared at the girl. _

_Sparrow was now hauntingly beautiful, but it was an unnatural beauty- _Evil_ was the only way to describe it. Blood was staining her lips, her slightly parted mouth showed long curving teeth, like those of a cat only more elegant- ending in the sharpest point possible._

_Tierra felt Sparrow press her bleeding wrist to the younger girl's mouth. The young Raven took involuntary gulps of the sickly sweet fluid. It didn't taste like _blood_ - it tasted like... nothing she had ever felt before. It was like a breeze in the night, the sound of tinkling bells and the body of wine all at the same time. But most of all it felt old, not old as in musty; old as in like a star, normal and natural and so ancient._

_It was over too soon and the moment Sparrow pulled her wrist away Tierra could feel herself falling into a long sleep, full of darkness. _

It was the night she died.

* * *

Horo Horo lay on the grass with his hands behind his head, speculating the last few days. He wondered about Pilika, she had left a few days ago to do something mysterious. Being a protective big brother he was worried for her, but glad that he had told Kororo to go with her.

Then his thoughts drifted to the new girl, Gul. She was quiet, but friendly, and he couldn't help but feel drawn to her. He had honestly never felt so connected to someone after only a few days. And then there was her looks. Horo Horo had never been too much of a vain person, but Gul was beyond beautiful. Her hair was a strange, wine red and when the light shone on it there were little highlights of blonde and copper, and an almost strawberry colour. Her eyes, more like a hunting animals than a human were an orange-green. Then her skin, she was so pale it looked like her skin was paper thin, like semi-translucent candle wax.

Despite this, there was something beneath the surface. Something strange. Horo didn't know quite how to describe it, but he was sure he wouldn't like it- when he found out. He remembered the time his senses had tingled strangely, just after she had entered the room. His instincts had told him to run. Primal instincts- back from the caveman times; like a fear of animals stronger than him.

So odd.

_She's a mystery._ Horo Horo smiled to himself and closed his eyes.

* * *

Anna sat on the floor in her room, books were scattered all over the room. Normally patient, Anna quickly scanned the pages stopping only at places she thought would be of use.

There was something wrong with Gul, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Yes, she was a Night World member but Anna simply didn't know enough to be safe.

Certain incidents had aroused Anna's suspicion. For instance- the hysterical girl screaming at Gul in fear. The necklace. The beauty. The mysteriousness.

It could only mean one thing.

Anna's eyes stopped roving in disbelief. She had found what she was looking for.

'_**In this world there is a secret society of creatures, the association of the Night World. The Night World is not a place; it is an organisation, an association, made of all of the creatures of darkness. These creatures being Witches, Shapeshifters, Werewolves and Vampires.'**_

Vampires. That's it! Anna carried on reading.

'_**One way to test if a person is a vampire is to cut them with an iron knife, if it injures them they are not vampire. If the wound heals before your eyes they are a vampire. For the only way to kill a vampire is with wood, or by burning.' **_

Anna cringed. _I don't think I like the sound of that._

'_**Another, less violent way of testing for a vampire is to shine a light into their eyes. If you get a shine back, similar to that of a cat, they are a vampire.'**_

Perfect. Anna closed the book with a new resolve.

* * *

Oh, how Gul hated science. She was sitting with Anna, who was behaving very strangely this morning.

The teacher scribbled something on the board.

_Testing the senses. _

He then turned around and spoke to the class. "Today we will be performing a few experiments. Around the room you will see various apparatus to do the experiment with. Please sort yourselves into groups of four, or three and record your findings."

---

Anna looked at the laminated card in front of her.

_Nervous system reactions._

_Hit someone with a ruler just below the knee cap and see what happens._

_Do you know why this happens?_

Anna turned her gaze to Gul and Horo Horo, who were trying out the experiment.

Gul was perched on a chair with one leg crossed over the other. She was looking at Horo Horo suspiciously.

"Hit me just below the knee, not on my knee, nor on my shin."

Horo Horo drew back his arm looking like a stirker about to his a baseball. Gul closed her eyes.

"Yeoow!"

"Sorry! Let me try again."

"NO! Ow, Stop it!"

Horo Horo was randomly slapping the ruler any old where, until he actually found the right place and Gul's leg shot up to hit him on the chin.

"Sorry." She said not looking the least bit sorry. "It was my reflex." She said dryly.

Horo Horo rubbed his red chin. "_I_ get to do the next one."

---

Anna stopped in her tracks when she saw the next card.

_Sight testing._

_Shine the lamp into someones eyes._

_What happens?_

She grasped Gul's arm.

"Whoa! What's the big hurry?"

"Just come here!"

Horo Horo pouted. "I want to do this one. To Gul."

He reached for the lamp before Anna could get it.

Gul was slightly alarmed. "Why don't you do it on Anna?"

Anna shook her head.

Then, before either of the girls could react, Horo had shone the light into Guls eyes.

It hurt her.

Anna saw. There was a definite flash.

So did Horo Horo.

* * *

Anna had been thinking about the best way to confront Gul.

She decided on Art, as there was so much noise, no one would be able to hear them. The lesson had started, and as Gul went off to get some glue near the end of the lesson, Anna filled Horo Horo in on her findings.

The moment Gul sat down she knew something was wrong. Horo Horo was looking at her strangely, and Anna had a closed, strained expression on her face.

Gul closed her eyes.

_Oh Goddess. They _know

"I know you know that we know. I can see it in your eyes." Anna looked very strained now.

Horo Horo spoke up "Why didn't you tell us?"

Gul didn't talk for a long while. When she did, it was soft and cracked in the middle.

"People treat me different when they know."

The bell went and Gul swept off before any more words could be exchanged.

* * *

Gul walked through the park, book and bag less. She folded her arms across her midriff and started thinking.

_Now I'm going to have to move again. I'm going to call Circle Daybreak and request a new school. Then someone is going to have to erase the memories of my new friends. I'll miss Steren, and Shear and Fahd. Come to think of it, I never did find out what was wrong with Steren... _

_I'm never going to find out now. _

_I'm even going to miss Anna and Horo Horo. _

Gul smiled. _He's such an idiot._ She thought fondly.

_I'm going to have to put up with another year of the same lessons in school for all eternity. Unless I could make a fake I.D. _

_Hmmm, I might talk to the agents about that. _

_I'm getting kind of fed up with school. I must have every qualification possible now. _

Gul sat down on the grass by the lake and closed her eyes, soaking in her surroundings for the last time.

---

"_Little fierce one, Lorccan. Go now and prove your worth."_

The dragon spoke into the shapeshifters mind. Lorccan swelled with pride, at the recognition of his master. Maybe in the new world order he would have a high up place in the system, maybe he could make something out of himself- instead of just being the small one.

Lorccan snivelled and crept slowly out of the bushes.

* * *

Gul could hear soft footsteps shuffling up behind her. Someone was trying to creep up on her quietly- and doing a very bad job of it.

Gul could feel her mouth curving into a smirk.

'_Achooo!'_

Gul shot up and turned around, drawing the carefully stashed dagger from her arm band. The hilt was made of iron, while the blade was made of silver. There was a matching dagger in the armband on her other arm, but with a blade of wood. Both blades had intricate patterns of twisting roses carved in on them.

Wood would kill a vampire, while silver would kill werewolves and shapeshifters.

"Lorccan." Gul said. She surprised herself at how calm she was.

The boy smiled. "Long time no see, sweetheart. We all miss you _very much_ you know." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"That's a shame." Gul kept her face blank and her voice malicious.

Lorccan laughed. "You haven't changed a bit!"

Gul sneered "Neither have you."

"On the contrary, my dear, we've changed more than you could possibly imagine."

Lorccan was preparing for a fight. Gul could see him shifting into a stance.

Then he shifted. It was quite possibly the most disgusting thing Gul had ever seen. He didn't even shift properly- he still stood on two legs.

_In the half and half form he'll have the speed of a Jaguarundi and its weapons, while keeping human sense. And a voice box, unfortunately._

Without warning, Lorccan dashed past Gul, who sidestepped at the last moment.

_That was close._

Gul semi-crouched and let the vampire in her take over. She felt strong, and ready for anything.

She feinted to one side, causing Lorccan to twitch, and then dashed in to slash across his face with her silver knife. He yowled in pain and anger, and leapt forward to try and catch her face with his claws.

Gul parried his whirling paws with her knife and other hand. Lorccan snarled and bit down on the unarmed wrist.

It should have healed, but it didn't. _How on earth?_ Gul thought as she leapt back and clutched her hand to her chest. There was a gaping wound, he had really bitten through the flesh.

Gul could feel the heat rise up in her body; her vision became clouded with red.

She slashed desperately forward, driving him back towards the water.

Lorccan bent down and head butted her in the stomach. He used her recovery time to shift fully. A Jaguarundi. A small russet coloured feline about 2 feet long.

Now the vile little creature with evil eyes shot forward, but the cloud of anger hadn't passed over Gul. She drove him away, so his back was facing the lake.

Quicker than lightning her leg shot out, she kicked him on the chin and he fell into the water.

Drenched and drowning he splashed about, trying to get back to ground.

_Cats hate water._

Gul felt exhausted. She frowned.

I've fought worse fights than that before- why do I feel so tired.

Gul turned around to briefly see a face that would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

A man stood there, he looked in his late 20's but then... he didn't.

His silver-white hair blew back from his forehead to show 4 little stubs of horns. They weren't what you think of as horns. They were... soft and furry like the buds of horns you would find on a calves forehead.

But the eyes. They were white. Pure White. No pupils, no irises. Zip.

The man bared his teeth in a hungry smile. They were sharp, all sharp-not just the canines. The upper lip folded back more than was humanly possible. And they were dripping with a hideous yellow liquid. It smelled sickly-sweet, like manure, and caramel. Gul willed her body to faint. If I'm going to die- let happen when I'm unconscious.

She was hit by a wave of pure darkness and hatred. It was radiating from the man.

Thankfully, she fainted.


	5. Ch4 A Dose of Poison

**A Kiss from a Rose on the Grave**

Disclaimer:  
I Do Not own any of the Shaman King characters, the place they live in, or indeed anything to do with them. I also do not own the Night World, or any of the principles of it- especially the soulmate principle. I do not own the song 'Kiss from a Rose' by Seal.

I do own my characters, and everything about them

That is Gul, Sparrow, Astrid, Fahd, Steren, Sher, Tierra, Lorccan, Shyam, Torqueo and Jasmine. I own where they live, etc.

Eram quod es, eris quod sum. - I was what you are, you will be what I am.

A/N: Thank you to my reviewers, and people who have added me to thier favs! It's half term next week so expect some more chapters.

Chapter 4 - A Dose of Poison

_Gul could feel the tears in her eyes welling up. She tried to keep them in, but to no avail. _

_Across the room Lorccan, Astrid and Sparrow were watching her intently. Or, to be more precise, Astrid and Sparrow were watching her- Lorccan was playing with a Rubix cube. _

"_It's no use crying about it, you know." Sparrow told Gul coldly. "It's not like you can change the past."_

_Astrid shot Sparrow a look that Gul missed. A disapproving one. _

_Sparrow sighed and turned to Gul. _

"_Eram quod es, eris quod sum" This caused Gul to look up. _

"_You were never like me. I was killed- but you were born dead, technically." _

_Astrid placed a restraining arm on Sparrow as the vampire snarled at the weeping girl. _

_---_

_Sparrow paced across the living room floor, she was trying to keep the anger inside. _

The little cry-baby just killed her best friend_. She scoffed. _Humans can never be friends with _us._

_The witch Astrid walked slowly into the room, before collapsing on the sofa with a sigh. Sparrow peered at her face._

"_You look awful."_

_Astrid tried to laugh, but it dissolved into a hacking cough._

"_I've just had another late night."_

"_How late?" _

_Astrid looked away and fidgeted. She muttered something under her breath._

_Sparrow shook her head and sighed. _

"_Why do you bother? If we lose you, nothing will matter!"_

_Astrid snorted. "I'll do it, and I'll survive- besides its not like I'm on my own."_

"_Are you sure this is the right girl? I mean she's like a pansy. No backbone."_

"_That's what He said."_

_Sparrow shuddered. "How do you know what he wants?"_

_Astrid remained calm. "He wants the girl. If we give him what he wants he'll help us in the future. The Night World will defeat the hippies of Circle Daybreak. Then the world will belong to us and an elite race of shamans!"_

"_Does that mean The Dragon will rule us then?"_

_The landing creaked._

_Sparrow's eyes glinted maliciously._

_Astrid's back stiffened. "We'll talk about this later."_

_---_

_Gul sat cross legged on the bed, looking out of the window. In her fingers she twiddled a small golden necklace. It was one of those best friend hearts- Gul had the 'Friends' half of the heart, with a little G engraved on the back. Jasmine had the other with a J on the back. Well, she wouldn't have it anymore. _

_Gul's eyes became misty as she thought of her best friend and all the times they had shared. _

_Jasmine was the first one Gul had told about her abusive mother. _

_Gul had never had a father._

_So, Jasmine and her family gave her the love she had never had before. Jasmine's mum had been more of a mother than Guls' had ever been._

_And now Gul had killed Jasmine, and probably terrorised Tierra for life. _

_So why didn't she feel guilty? _

_It was like the calm lull after the storm. Gul expected to break down soon, but she knew she had to escape._

_Still fiddling with the necklace, she stepped out into the hall. Voices came from the end of the corridor. Astrid's tired one, and Sparrow's fierce one._

_She heard the conversation. _

_Now she knew she had to escape._

_---_

_Gul crept with vampire ease through the kitchen. She carefully avoided the kitchen utensils to see... the Jaguarundi sitting by the door. _

_It smiled, and then formed a mouth. Its body swirled and writhed as the figure changed from a jungle cat into a half human._

_The tail of the figure swirled around behind him as he spoke._

"_Leaving so soon?" He bared his teeth. _

_Gul could feel her sadness weigh down her shoulders, but Lorccan was still speaking._

"_You know, we're connected in ways deeper than you realise."_

_Gul couldn't hear a word; there was a rushing in her ears._

"_Daughter of a Dragon."_

_Then with a strength born of a broken heart, Gul dove forward and directed a kick at the shapeshifters head. Fortunately for her she found a pressure point._

_The boy-cat collapsed and Gul darted out of the open door._

_By the time they realised she was missing, Gul had disappeared to the area- and although she swore to return one day, she never did._

* * *

Gul awoke with a splitting headache. She swore as the last few hours came back to her. Thinking hurt. To the point laying down still hurt, so Gul eased her pounding body into a sitting position.

She looked around and groaned; at least 5 hours must have passed because it was now dark.

The vampire gave her body a brief check over. There were a few minor scratches where there should have been none. Only wood was supposed to hurt her.

She would survive.

Gul gathered her thighs under her and forced her body into a crouching position and sprang up. She walked a few paces forward, but her body crumpled under her, legs turned into jelly.

As Gul was stirring she saw something on the grass. It caught her eye because it was gold and it glittered.

Half a golden heart.

It said "Best". Gul could feel her vision starting to spin as she reached for it and put her hand in her pocket to find her own.

The grass pendant had a J on the back.

And it fitted exactly with her own.

---

Fahd strolled casually along the sidewalk. It was a nice, quiet night. And, letting himself slip slightly he allowed his body to change subtly. Black ears sprouted out of his hair, unnoticeable in the night. The pupils of his eyes became slits, and something delicate and magical happened to his nose, and sense of smell.

Fahd was a night hunter- in complete opposition to Shear. Where Shear preferred day- Fahd preferred night. Where Shear was confidant- Fahd was shy. Fahd and Shear had the bond that only brothers usually shared.

Both so different, yet both so similar.

His nose caught the smell of vampire blood. Very different from human blood. Then he saw Gul.

Running towards her, he caught her as she fell.

She was in a dead faint.

He touched the small pendant round his neck and spoke softly.

"I could use a hand."

* * *

Anna sat on the floor of her room. Yoh and Horo Horo looked at her solemnly.

Yoh blinked. "So this girl's a vampire!?"

Anna nodded.

Horo Horo frowned. "The thing that bothers me most is that she seems a decent person- not a blood sucking monster."

Anna inclined her head slightly. "Somehow, I just can't imagine Gul with red rimmed eyes crawling out of a coffin and attacking people."

Anna suddenly felt a slight tug at her senses. From the pained expression of Horo Horo, she guessed he felt it too.

"Gul..."

* * *

There was no rest in this place. Only torment. Gul felt all of her atoms be stripped from her body and replaced. It hurt like nothing she had felt before.

There was only a swirling void with various faces and voices drifting in occasionally. But they were of no importance. Not when you were in limbo.

---

Steren bent over Gul with another herbal formula and wafted it under her nose. She waited a few moments before turning to Fahd.

"It's not working."

Fahd chewed the bottom of his lip in worry, then looked up at Steren.

She sighed. "Yes, I had thought I would have to use this."  
She walked over to an old oak wood cabinet and put on a pair of gloves hanging on a peg by the side.

She opened the doors and scanned the bottles. Most of them had either a ground up mixture, or a few dried leaves.

The last bottle had a red label with a skull and cross bones on.

Fahds emerald eyes were wide as he whispered. "_Belladonna_."

Steren spoke as she took a small leaf out of the vial. "Actually, in this form it's Deadly Nightshade." She beckoned. "Come and help me."

Fahd reached for his own gloves and put them on. Steren placed the tip of the leaf gently onto Gul's tongue, and moved away as she jerked.

Fahd watched in fascination as Guls body started jerking and breaking out into a sweat.

Steren swore. "I hope I didn't give her too much."

She took off her gloves carefully and handed them to Fahd. She put the leaf in the palm of her gloves and looked to Fahd.

He carefully peeled off his own and held them on the inside of the glove and softly crept out the room, careful not to get the gloves near anything.

Steren spoke softly. "Burn them."

Then turned back to the hacking and retching Gul.


End file.
